Prague, 13 May 2002 (RFE/RL) -- Delegations from Armenia and Azerbaijan begin talks today aimed at pushing forward negotiations on a settlement over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The talks will take place at Stirin chateau outside Prague and are set to end on Wednesday.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan is due to open the talks. The Armenian and Azerbaijani sides will be led by deputy foreign ministers. The talks are to be mediated by representatives of the OSCE's Minsk group, which has been trying to guide the Armenian and Azerbaijani parties to a peaceful resolution of the dispute. The Minsk group is co-chaired by the United States, Russia, and France.